I don't know whether you've noticed this, but I'm a bit of a football fan. I watch every minute of the NFL season
I can (or at least as much as I'm allowed to by Mrs Football). I'm convinced I watch, listen to, or online–monitor
more weekly college games than some of those who vote in the polls. And come draft day, I will have my own 'big board'
set up, caring deeply about everybody from the first overall pick to Mr Irrelevant.

And yet no part of college sports brings out the passion in this Brit more than the next two weeks. Until college football
produces a system that provides a genuine route for any team — from any first division conference — to make it
to the championship game, college football lacks a legitimate champion. It's nothing but a fudge. 150 years and there's not
even much sign of a willingness to do anything but grab the money and flip the bird to the mid–majors.

That's why I love March Madness, and why I hope that this year the little teams cause more than a few upsets. The mid–majors
(or even the minor–mids) of college basketball are going to have to rescue football. Here, Utah gets a crack at USC, voters
don't get to choose between Oklahoma and Texas, and Radford has the same chance North Carolina does. Yeah, some committee choose
the final 65, but from here on, this is a system where everybody decides their own destiny.

And best of all, having been given a chance, every small name team that fells a basketball beast puts more pressure on college
football to justify its convoluted and detestable system of guessing a champion.

So here's to American, Binghamton, VCU, Radford. Go Akron! Go BYU! Go Utah! Forget last year — if ever there was a season
when no.1s looked endangered, it's this one.

SPAN class= "headline">Breaking The Brackets

And then, of course, there's my brackets. Like I know anything about it. But then, that's the fun of it: the water cooler moment
of comparing your nonsense to everybody else's. Anyway, here goes — we can look back and have a good laugh later...

(Hey, no peeking, finish your own before you look at mine!)

East: Villanova
I'm not feeling optimistic about upsets in the East. Taking things geographically, the early going should be a walk for Villanova,
while it ends early for UCLA. The Wildcats slap down VCU and progress. Thereafter, they take on the winner of Duke/Texas. That's
Duke, and that may be the toughest matchup 'Nova faces in the East. From the other half of the draw, I go with the obvious.
Pitt gets by Tennessee; Xavier edges Florida State (because there is more to making the regionals than Toney Douglas).
Pitt ultimately emerges to fight 'Nova, but I'll accept the Wildcats regular season victory over Pitt as evidence enough.

South: North Carolina
Much as I'd love to pick the McKnights of Akron, Gonzaga's looking good to breeze past them and Illinois before falling to North Carolina.
The romantic in me takes Temple over Arizona State, but the Owls don't last against Syracuse. Thereafter, Syracuse may face the surprise of Michigan,
who upend Oklahoma with hopes of a Final Four in Detroit. Won't happen, though. Syracuse plays the Tar Heels for the South, and — assuming
Ty Lawson is fine — NC prevails. Of course, Lawson's fitness is no gimme. I wouldn't bat an eyelid if 4–seed Gonzaga came out of the South.

West: Memphis
Picking Memphis over UConn in the West wouldn't be a radical upset, but I can see some eye–openers along the way. For example, I'll buy
Northern Iowa vs Mississippi State instead of Purdue vs Washington in round 2, and despite the Bulldogs being a long way on the road, I think
they have momentum enough to play UConn close. Elsewhere, I'll entertain Marquette in a shocker over Missouri, and Maryland to surprise Cal,
but both will fall to Memphis.

Midwest: Louisville
Maybe I'm getting more into the spirit of the tournament as I go along, but Louisville aside I can see some oddities in the Midwest. A
Dayton vs North Dakota bracket assumes West Virginia and Kansas slipping early, but then the 'madness' has to come from somewhere, and
we're not in Kansas anymore, Toto, we're in Minneapolis, which could be the epicentre for weird. Michigan State to lose to BC?
Dayton vs Boston College for the right to play Louisville? Yeah, why not? Drop the other shoe, already. BC to stun Louisville?
Okay, I'm not taking it that far.

Final Four...
So, I've got two 1–seeds (North Carolina and Louisville), a 2–seed (Memphis) and a 3–seed (Villanova).
Regulars to this site may already be suspecting a Pennsylvania bias to Villanova's inclusion, and I'm pretty suspicious of it as well.
If North Carolina make it past Gonzaga and Syracuse, Ty Lawson is healthy, and they finish Villanova's run. I don't have a good reason
for taking Memphis over Louisville, other than the Tigers embarrassing me all season for making them my preseason no.17, and being
keen to rub my nose in it some more. Plus, if I'm talking mid–majors, that's a Conference USA team to cheer. But I picked
North Carolina as my preseason no.1, and when it comes to the championship, I'll stick with Hansbrough and company to the end.
North Carolina it is.

So who did President Obama take? VCU over UCLA ... Utah to hold against Arizona ... Temple over Arizona State ...
(hey, this guy knows what he's talking about) ... Memphis in the West ... and North Carolina to take the title.